Roommates
by JustADreamAway735
Summary: A day in the life of some roommates in college.
1. Jack's Days

_A/N : (Update 1-25-13) Okay, so I had some free time and decided that my first project in revising my (lack of) stories should be this one. I looked it up and read what I had uploaded and, well...I wanted to cry at the format. It all went so wrong! So, I'm going to try and make it clearer to read, hopefully it works this time!_

_**Intrusion**  
_

After looking for and failing to find any possible scratches of paper to start his chemistry problems with, Jack swore and ambled up the stairs of the modest, two-bedroom apartment he temporarily called home for university's sake. He creaked open the slightly ajar door, eyes squinting in the darkness. As his eyes got used to the obscurity, he had to stifle a laugh at the twisted form lying in the bed adjacent to his.

There, practically dead to the world and clad only in a fur vest and a pair of (not so clean) tighty-whities, was his lanky best bud for ten years and current roommate, Hiccup. Well, one of a total of three other roommates at least. Poor sap was getting what little sleep he could before his next class, and probably just crashed on the bed after getting back from his shift in the nearby theme park. Why he ever would even want to work at a dragon-themed kiddie place was beyond Jack.

Jack, afraid that his laugh might wake up Sleeping Beauty, stuffed his fist into his mouth and thought, _Oh, I need a camera for this. _Ever so slowly he pulled his phone out and snapped a quick picture, shutting the door behind him afterwards.

Poor Hiccup didn't know what hit him when that picture was circulating all over Facebook later that night.

* * *

**_Borrowing Without Permission_**

"JAAACCK!"

_Ah crud, what'd I do this time?_ Knowing that what was going to happen probably wasn't going to be pretty, Jack went back to sipping his cup of decaf, topped with two fast melting ice cubes.

No sooner did he think that did a fire curled Scottish woman came storming from the garage, a deathly glare squinted on her face. She pointed an accusatory finger at him, demanding,"Did you take Angus out?"

"What makes you ask that?"

"Nobody else would dare take him without my permission, and his tires are scuffed! Only _you_ would have the idiocy to scuff 'em!"

He placed a hand on his chest. "Merida, I'm so touched you can recognize my handiwork." He wiped a dry tear away. "You make me feel _so _special, especially with those compliments of yours."

With a growl, she snatched his cooling coffee away and dumped it in the sink. Merida slammed her balled up fists on the table, causing quite the rattle among the set up silverware. "That is not the point Jack! You go inside the garage _right now_ and fix up my motorcycle, or I will personally shoot an arrow down your cold throat!"

"Okay, okay! Don't get your curl's straightened up." Hands thrown up into the air in surrender, he marched into the garage. Jeez, people needed to relax nowadays.

* * *

**_Introduction_**

"Jack, are you sure that it'll all be okay? I feel silly just getting ready right now!" Rapunzel muffly yelled through her locked door.

"Yeah, it's going to be fine, Punz. It's not like you're going to die from this or anything."

"Okay," she said uncertainly. "I guess I'm a little scared; it's my first college party, you know."

He scoffed. Ain't that the truth. If it weren't for his urging, demanding, and begging for her to go for this past week, she'd probably be staying home tonight, working on another painting. "I know Rapunzel, but you'll be fine. I promise I'll be with you the whole time. I won't let you outta my sight. You almost done by the-"

Her door opened. His mind drew a blank as he observed the sight in front of him.

Rapunzel, the sweet, innocent, on-the-shyer-side girl he befriended through Merida, was...stunnning. Clad in a hugging, faded pink and purple strapless dress that cut off mid-thigh, and heels that seemed a bit too high for her, she nervously smiled at him, all the while twisting her voluminous blonde hair that fell just so around her silhouette. She sent him an anxious glance, asking,"Does this look alright?"

_Trust me, that looks more than alright,_ he silently thought. Out loud, he nodded and managed to say after an uncomfortable cough,"Y-yeah, you look fine."

Rapunzel beamed and locked her arms with his. "Shall we?"

"We shall."

Jack definitely wasn't going to let her out of his sights now.


	2. Hiccup's Days

_**A/N: Well, you guys have been asking for it, and I'd hate to disappoint. Here's chapter two of Roommates, this time in Hiccup's POV. I know, I know, this one kinda belongs in the How to Train Your Dragon fandom, but I'm too lazy to make any adjustments. I'm planning on making two or more chapters, going on to Merida's and Rapunzel's POVs. Anyways, hope you guys like this installment :)**_

* * *

**Crush**

"Jack...Jack, buddy..._Jack..._JACK!" Tired that his friend was being so unrepsonsive, Hiccup rolled up his newspaper into a tight cylinder and wacked him upside the head.

"OW!" Jack rubbed the tender bruise on his head and glared at Hiccup. "Now, seeing as I'm dealing with a mini concussion, you mind telling me why you wanted my scalp to be imprinted with _The Berk Bugle_?"

"Yeah, you started spacing out on me again. It's been the fifth time in this past hour man, what's eating you?"

"Well...it's not exactly a 'what', it's more of a-"

Just then, their waitress/friend/roommate Rapunzel came over, hands and _head_ over-loaded with multiple dishes, her hair just slightly coming undone from its thick braid. Still, despite having worked since seven in the morning, the guys had to admit that she stayed relatively perky.

"Hey guys!" she chirped, slowly reaching for a plate on top and setting it on the table. "Jack, I got you your Monte Cristo sandwich, egg on the side and no pepper. And," With an acrobat's grace, Rapunzel curtseyed and slid down a cup of freshly brewed hot drink. "your cup of black, completely and utterly unsweetened coffee."

Hiccup snorted and smirked at Jack's blush. He noticed his friend's eyes travelling lower down Rapunzel's body when she innocently bent over to place his order; Jack's eyes were practically bugging out of his head when she bowed deeply for his coffee. Hiccup was far from stupid: Rapunzel's manager hadn't exactly given her a large uniform, if you know what he means. Her skirt, while loose, came about five inches above her knees, and her light blue button up fit her torso becomingly, the top few buttons undone just enough to tease. But Hiccup knew that she wasn't doing it on purpose, never Rapunzel. Still, seeing Jack squirm made it unimportant of whether or not she was conscious of her actions.

She left their table to pass out other customers' orders, saying that she'd be back with Hiccup's soon. He didn't mind, though, Jack's face was enough of a treat.

The smirk creeping across like molasses, Hiccup remarked, "Damn Jack, either that sandwich is really good or a certain blonde waitress caught your attention, because you're drooling like _crazy_."

* * *

**Status Quo **

Hiccup had lived with Jack, Merida, and Rapunzel long enough to get used to their quirks.

Jack had a pretty formidable chunk of his time dedicated to ice hockey. Merida would maim anybody who put a fingerprint on her motorcycle, Angus. Rapunzel spent hours every Saturday morning hogging the bathroom, trying to tame her winding golden hair. Jack became a seething ticking time bomb whenever some creep tried to come onto Rapunzel. Merida was fiercely protective of her three younger brothers. Rapunzel had a tendency to speak to her pet chameleon or stuffed horse for advice.

All of this wasn't normal. But Hiccup was used to it. He'd gone through pretty much everything you could get into with a roommate, so nothing surprised him. That is, until the day he heard an extremely dolphin-pitched yip ever to come out of the house. And, what surprised him the most, the shriek was coming from a certain Scottish young woman.

Hiccup jogged into the kitchen and saw something he'd naught soon forget: Merida-tough, brave Merida-was hiding behind a chair, arrow in hand, and wildly eyeing a confused little reptile. As it crawled forward to study the young woman, she waved the arrow in full arcs, almost coming into contact with its skin.

"WOAH, woahwoahwoah, Merida _stop!_"

She did for a moment, which gave him enough time to clear his throat and say, "Mer, I'd like you to meet Toothless."

* * *

**Help**

As he turned the car off and locked it, Hiccup couldn't contain his sigh of relief any longer. _Finally_, his shift was over! Not to say that he didn't like working there, no; he just hated the days when snarky, know-it-all kids mixed in with tantrum-thowing kids would come to the park all at once. That only meant more backtalk at him, more tears, and more parents threatening to call his manager. Not to mention that the temperature was starting to rise, and his Viking costume wasn't the best insulated outfit.

_Ohh_, he could finally get some rest.

He unlocked the door and stepped a few feet inside the dark hallway before frowing.

He heard some shuffling in the living room. Nobody other than himself should've been here tonight. Merida went home to see her family, Rapunzel was supposed to be with her boyfriend, and Jack was out doing Thor knows what.

A million and one scenarios whizzed through his head as he stuttered out, "H-hello? Who's here? I'm warning you, I took tae kwon do!" F_or about three weeks when I was thirteen, _he added silently.

As soon as he heard a muffled sob, who knew immediately who it was without having to turn the corner.

"R-Rapunzel? What happened? Why aren't you with Flynn?"

Said girl quickly wiped her tears and plastered on a thin smile. "H-hey, Hiccup, I didn't know you were coming back yet. Do you want tea, I can make some if you're tired-"

"No." He shook his head firmly and sat her back down on the couch, jaw muscles visible as he clenched them tight. "You tell me right now what happened. Where's Flynn?"

The mention of his name brought fresh tears streaming down her face. She shuddered, burying the bottom half of her face with her palms, her eyes squeezing out the last ribbon of tears as she tried to compose herself. Rapunzel sighed and began. "Flynn...he's...he's not-_we're _not togeth-" She sighed, this time harshly, and bit her bottom lip. "He broke up with me, Hiccup."

"Oh God...Rapunzel, I'm so sorry." He wrapped his arms around her. She fell into him, the last of her composure completely eradicated. There, the two of them sat, one of them sobbing while the other ran his fingers through her bedraggled hair.

Fifteen minutes later, Rapunzel was sure the worst of her sadness was flushed out. She looked at the stripes of moisture running down Hiccup's shirt and gave him a meek smile. "Sorry about that. I guess I couldn't control myself."

"Nah, don't sweat it. I needed a new shirt anyways."

Seeing that her eyes still were hot with redness, Hiccup showed Rapunzel a half-moon smile and suggested, "Do you wanna do something fun? Do you wanna go to Taco Bell?"

Rapunzel choked out a laugh and put on her best 'scowl'. "I can't go to Taco Bell! I'm on an _all-carb _diet! God, Karen, you are so _stupid_!"

The two fell into a mess of giggles. Hiccup told her to hop into his car, because he was going to take her out on a date that Flynn couldn't even dream of giving her. He turned his ignition back on, she tugged on her seatbelt, and Hiccup figured that, even though it would take time for her to heal, he and all of their friends would help Rapunzel along the way.

* * *

_**A/N: Gotta love that Karen Smith...and Regina George...and none for Gretchen Weiners XD Sorry, couldn't resist adding that in the end. It was just screaming at me, saying: *real name*, type me, type meeee! Hahaha, so you guys like Hiccup's chappie? I hope so, I had a bunch of fun writing it. And I'm really sorry, I didn't want to turn Flynn into a jerkwad :( I love my Eugene Fitzherbert, but I couldn't place anybody else there for the situation. Let's just pretend that he's...acting, yeah that's it. By the way, I know it's kinda iffy looking, especially with 'Help', but this is NOT, in my opinion, a Hiccunzel thing (though I ship that too. Too cute!). I mean, it can go that way if you want, I don't mind. But officially, it's not Hiccunzel. Just a good buddy buddy pal helping a fellow good buddy buddy pal.**_

_**Anyways, until next chapter**_

_**-(insert real name here)**_


	3. Merida's Days

**Etiquette**

She wrinkled her nose in disgust as she watched the lanky man rip open the package of Oreos and snarf them down by the handful. He took a giant swig from their milk carton, getting crumbs and milk all over the floor, and wiped the excess off of his face with the back of his sleeve.

He easily turned on his heel and raised an eyebrow when he saw Merida scowling at the kitchen table. "Oh..hey Mer. Anything bugging you?"

"Yeah," she snapped. "It's you!"

"What?!" he asked incredulously. "The hell did I do?"

"Och, you are _so _disgusting! Do you know how gross it was to see you suck face with those Oreos?!" She pointedly glared at the mess on the floor. "And look at that mess on the floor! It looks like the pantry _threw up_ on the tiling! You better clean that up and work on your freakin' manners, or-"

"_My _manners?!" he shouted back. "I'm not the one who's yelling at people for tiny messes! For someone with rich business parents, _you're _the one who needs it class it up!"

"Ex_cuse _me?! I don't need work on that!"

"Do too!"

"Do _not_!"

"Do **_too!_**"

"_Do _**_Not!_**"

"**_Do Too!_**"

"**_DO NOT!_**"

"**_DO TOO!_**"

**Mama Drama**

"And she _never _listens to me!" Merida groaned dramatically and tugged at her tangerine mane. "I don't want to go into the family business! Ever! It's so _boring, _and...and I just don't think I can handle that. It's too much for me...I don't understand why-"

"She can't see it your way?" Rapunzel nodded sagely, tucking her left leg underneath her right, and said, "I understand. I feel the same way about my own mother. She doesn't...get me, I guess."

Merida plopped herself down into her dark green beanbag chair, staring blankly at the ceiling and breathing slowly. "I mean of course I love her, don't get me wrong, but-"

"I know what you mean. You love them all the time, but sometimes you don't exactly _like _them. They do it because they want what's best for us though..."

"But how do they know what's best for us if they _aren't _us? Sometimes...I just feel so...so, I don't know-"

"Trapped?"

Merida stared at her new roommate and smiled softly. "I guess we have more in common than I thought."

**Just a Little Bend **

Hiccup was weird, that much she was sure of. He had the oddest of interests (dragons, anyone?), he had an unconventional way of looking at things, and was always throwing back some smart aleck remark.

The first couple of months of living together, Merida would always try to find some sort of excuse to not be in the same room as him. She'd never know what to say to him, and he would awkwardly try to brush the tension off. No, she'd let his best friend and Rapunzel do the talking for her.

As finals of the winter semester approached for that year, the uncomfortable feelings were relatively lessened, and the two were able to smoothly be in the same room together. They'd sometimes strike up conversation about groceries or feelings on upcoming tests; most of the time, however, it was just a stiff, semi-comfortable silence.

And then one day, right before spring break...

"Don't touch that!"

Merida flinched at the surprising outburst, moving her fingertips away from the scraps of paper. She whipped around and saw Hiccup there, his arm outstretched, forest green eyes widened to the size of golfballs.

"Sorry...I didn't mean to yell." He gently lowered his arm and sighed. "Just...please, just try not to touch those papers. They're kinda special."

" 's alright." Merida crossed her arms, somewhat annoyed that he yelled at her. How was she supposed to know that they were important. "But why did you leave them out here and not in some folder if you don't want people seeing them?"

"They'd get damaged if I put them anywhere else other than open air," he said sheepishly. "Trust me, I've tried."

The air turned heavy with silence.

"So...what are they anyways?"

"Some of my rough artwork, which is kind of another reason why I didn't want you to see it. It's not one of my better ones, I'd have to say."

This caught her by surprise; Merida thought that he was an architect major, not an art student. "Didn't know that you had some Rapunzel in you."

"Neither did my dad." With a solemn, lopsided grin, Hiccup continued, "He saw some of my drawings one day. Didn't like them too much. Said that I shouldn't be 'acting like such a child' or whatever. But I guess he has a point, I mean what father would want his son to grow up and be a starving Bohemian artist?"

Merida had to giggle at that one. "That's too bad. I've seen some of your art when I pass your and Jack's room sometimes, and they're pretty good. And I get what you mean, by the way, with the whole parents thing. Mum didn't was less than happy with me going to such a far away college. And I guess spending my time studying rather than marrying a rich sixty-year-old didn't please her either."

"Guess we're in the same boat, then," Hiccup said with a small grin.

"I guess we are," she smiled back. Before there was another pause, Merida added, "Do...do you want to get something to eat with me? My class doesn't start for another few hours, and the cafe's only a few blocks away. Maybe we can see Rapunzel if she's working."

"Y-yeah, Merida, that sounds good. Lemme get my jacket and wallet, and then we can go."

As he left the room, Merida felt her face become comfortably warm, and her smile widened. He said her name.

* * *

_A/N: Yay, third chappie is up and ready to go! I really hope you guys like this one, cuz for some reason I had a hard time writing with Merida in mind. And sorry if Rapunzel's and Hiccup's portion seemed pretty similar, but I figured that that was a starting point of how she'd connect with those two :/ Oh well, I'm satisfied for now, so I guess this'll do. Be ready for the next chapter, since it's my gurl Rapunzel's POV. Byee!_

_Until next chapter_

_-(insert real name here)_


	4. Rapunzel's Days

**Duet **

There were three truths to Rapunzel: First, she was the most emotional out of the four. Second, her love of singing happened to coincide with her mood. And lastly, she shared her singing with whoever was in the room at the time.

Unfortunately, it was Hiccup's turn today.

"Hiccup!"

He hid his wince as he heard her light footclaps approaching. His half-smile was more of a grimace; oh, he knew what was coming right now. There was no stopping it.

"Yeah, Rapunzel?"

"Sing with me!"

Yup, there it was: the pleading look. Her eyes were extremely owlish, her nose winkled like a bunny, and her smile was precariously hanging in-between absolute happiness and a deep abyss of a frown.

Nobody could say no to that.

A sigh. "Yeah...Yeah, sure, I'll sing with you."

She squealed and blasted the speakers with some upbeat, Spanish-inspired music, and began singing.

_I feel pretty_

_Oh so pretty_

_I feel pretty and witty and bright_

_And I pity_

_Any girl who isn't me tonight_

Extending the last note out, Rapunzel twirled easily around the hand-me-down furniture in her cupcake pastel dress and grabbed a tiny hand mirror from her bag.

_I feel charming_

_Oh so charming_

_It's alarming how charming I feel_

_And so pretty_

_That I hardly can believe I'm real_

She looked at herself in the hand mirror, primping and motioning for Hiccup to join her. He chuckled and squished himself in the reflection, joining her for the next verse.

_See the pretty girl in that mirror there?_

_Who can that attractive girl be?_

_Such a pretty face_

_Such a pretty dress_

_Such a pretty smile_

_Such a pretty me..!_

See, what people didn't know was that Hiccup was an excellent singer. He just never let people know that much about it. (_"Having people find out that you're a closet artist and singer kinda makes them question your sexuality."_) Yet here, all alone with Rapunzel in their living room, he was completely in his element, free to act out as much as he wanted without being judged. He stole the mirror from Rapunzel and planted himself on top of their couch cushion, taking the next verse all on his own.

_I feel stunning_

_And entrancing_

_Feel like running_

_And dancing for joy_

_For I'm loved_

_By a pretty wonderful boooyyyy..._

They finished the rest of the song in a mess of giggles and paused her Ipod to grab a snack. They munched on some kind of cracker and ice cream mix, with Hiccup knowing exactly who made Rapunzel giddy enough to sing that particular song.

**Cancel **

Rapunzel frowned at Merida's green, mermaid-style dress. "Mer, what's with the getup?"

"Yet _another _date my mother set me up with! Because she seems to have control of my life even from all the way across the country." She groaned and adjusted the thin strap of her hand bag, pulling down the uncomfortably short dress skirt. "The only reason I agreed to this-which, by the way, is the _third _date she set up-is because my dad's company is depending on good relations. Thank God Almighty that the other two were suddenly ruined."

Rapunzel discreetly blushed, adding, "Yeah, what a shame. Didn't your first date have a really terrible sneezing fit during dinner?"

Merida snorted. "Mmhm, seems like the oaf didn't notice that there was a wee bit too much pepper. Serves him right, since he was speaking non stop gibberish the whole evening. The other one was too stupid to make it to the car; you'd think a person would see a fifty foot hose in their way!"

Rapunzel giggled, her blush subsiding, and asked, "How do ya think this one will end up?"

"Oh, I don't know. Never met this guy before, though I heard he's a bit of a diva. This should go swimmingly, I should think." Merida carelessly tossed her shoes on and made her way to the door. "Anyways, I gotta go now, the guy's waiting for me at the restaurant. Can you believe that, not even bothering to pick me up?"

The door slammed shut.

A few seconds later, Hiccup emerged from the hallway corner. "Is she gone?" he asked.

"Yup, and me and my blue paint bucket are ready." Rapunzel bounded up the stairs, ready to retrieve her items (for testing purposes, of course), when Hiccup stopped her.

"Hey, Punzie...thanks. I mean, thanks a lot for helping me out and-"

"Hic, don't worry about it," she smiled. "Besides, Merida's my friend, and if she were to end up with an idiot, I'd rather that idiot be you."

"Wow, I'm touched." He wiped a dry tear away, asking, "You think we'll pull this one off? I mean putting a pepper overload in a dish, fine; tripping someone with a hose, sure, that works. But hanging up a paint bucket in the middle of a restaurant? I'm not too sure how easy that'll be."

"Trust me, North owns the place, so getting it in will be a piece of cake! Now, do you want to ruin a forced date and save the love of your life or not?"

"I'll shut up now."

**Now**

It had been ten years. One whole decade.

The tiny living space had remained the same-a bit melancholy and delapidated due to lack of residency, but the majority remained unharmed.

Rapunzel traced the smoothed out wooden door frame with light fingertips, as if any rougher of a touch would make the whole building collapse. She didn't really know what brought her here or why; she wasn't even really in town, didn't have a good enough alibi for it. But as she drove on the interstate highway past her alma mater, something prompted her to exit and coast her way to her old house.

For some reason, it didn't seem as magnificent as it once was.

Probably because this used to stand as a symbol of independence from her mother. Now, she was a grown woman and the thought of independence from her mother was hardly a foreign concept. But independence came at a price, as her attention to friends dwindled as well. However, this wasn't out of direct scorn or malice. Things happened in life where they kind of forget what they were leaving behind.

Hiccup and Merida, she knew, were too busy balancing married life, steady jobs, and raising two-year-old Njord to call for hours at a time. Jack, well...the three of them lost contact with him a long time ago.

She heard the tiniest creak coming from the other side of the door. Perhaps...no, she quickly dashed aside any of those notions. Nobody besides her would have wanted to come back here, would they?

The creak came again, though this time much louder. Out of instinct, Rapunzel backed away cautiously, groping the inside of her bag for her car keys and pepper spray. A scream almost escaped her lips when the door began to open. Then she saw him.

"I think it'd be best if you came inside for a while," he murmured. "You'll understand it better if you do."

It was as if he never left. His hair remained snowy white, his eyes a peircing blue, and yet...there was something amiss in him. Perhaps it was in the way his stance was weary, or maybe by the way his eyes were crushed glass, but something was definitely wrong. Wordlessly, Rapunzel stepped inside to speak with her friend.

_*Flashback*_

_The fire crackled deliciously in the hearth, yet the abnormally large fleece blanket toasted the couple just fine. The television was turned on to some ABC Family Disney marathon, the current movie 'Beauty and the Beast'. Jack goodnaturedly hummed along to the tunes while Rapunzel was uncharacteristically quiet. He nudged her gently, asking what was wrong._

_"Nothing," she replied as she twisted the blanket corner. "I...I guess I'm kinda scared. We're not eighteen anymore, ya know? We'll be graduating in a little while, then going off to become real adults. Doesn't that thought make you nervous, even a little bit?"_

_"I'm not gonna lie...I'm pretty terrified. I mean, I've been goofing off for the past twenty-one years, and now I have to give that up entirely? That's not easy for me, Punz," he admitted._

_"So..." her voice fell to a whisper. "What'll we do with our lives? What'll _**_we_**_ become, Jack, I don't want to lose us-"_

_He kissed her full on the lips. The fire was hot, the blanket was comfortable, her lips were soft, a singing teapot was on the television, and _**_he _**_kissed _**_her_**_. It felt amazing._

_Her breaths came out like slow legato quarter notes. Then she stopped at a caesura marking, waiting for Jack to say anything._

_"Can we focus on the 'now', please? 'Later' will happen when it happens. But we can't focus on what will happen next because then everything in the present is gonna fly past our heads!"_

_"But what about-"_

_Another kiss._

_"Alright, Jack, if you say so...just promise me this: we'll have a happy future ahead, roomie?"_

_"I promise that to the moon and back...roomie."_

* * *

_A/N: I'M DONE! FINALLY, AFTER SEVERAL MONTHS, I'M DONE! Hahahaha, thank you guys SO MUCH for liking this as much as you already have. Seriously, without you guys' urgings, I probably would have left this at one chapter. And now, I'm all done, and it's all because of you :) So thank you all for reading, and I hope the journey was enjoyable._

_Until next story _

_-(insert real name here)_


End file.
